ALGIERS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The death toll from political violence in Algeria dropped to its lowest level in a year in November and local media said government forces had weakened al Qaeda-aligned rebels by arresting or killing some leaders.

An estimated six people were killed in November including four rebels and two civilians, compared with 60 people in October, bringing to 435 the number of people killed in clashes between government forces and Islamic militants in 2007, according to a Reuters count based on newspaper reports.

Nine members of the security forces were wounded by bombs and, on Nov. 9, rebels opened fire on an empty passenger plane at the southern airport of Djanet and damaged it, papers said.

There was no claim of responsibility for that attack, but al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb was believed to be behind the assault, they said.

Algeria is emerging from more than a decade of conflict that began when the military-backed government scrapped 1992 legislative elections a radical Islamic party was poised to win.

Authorities had feared an Iranian style revolution. Up to 200,000 people have been killed during the ensuing violence.

The bloodshed has subsided in recent years and last year the government freed more than 2,000 former Islamist guerrillas under an amnesty designed to put an end to the conflict.

But an alliance early in the year between Islamist radicals and al Qaeda saw an upsurge in attacks.

Clashes continued in eastern provinces, the scene of a counter-offensive by security forces against Maghreb al Qaeda after a failed assassination attempt on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in September.

On Nov. 5, Algerian daily Liberte reported the surrender of Maghreb al Qaeda's "propaganda" man Abu Abderahmane who it said was in charge of supplying broadcaster Al Jazeera with videos.

Papers also reported the killing of the group's liaison committee head Yahya Abu al-Haitham after he stormed a military roadblock. The group later confirmed his death. (Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; Editing by Tom Pfeiffer and Mary Gabriel)

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